Swatting is a trend threatening the lives of people locally and nationally
Recently, a lot of high-profile people including politicians have been victims of swatting calls. The FBI describes swatting as someone calling 911 and faking an emergency that draws a response from law enforcement, usually a SWAT team.
Retired Jacksonville SWAT officer gives insight into how manhunts work as agencies search for Maine shootingsโ suspect
As police keep looking for the man accused of killing at least 18 people and injuring more than a dozen others in Maine Wednesday night, a retired Jacksonville SWAT officer gave more insight into how a manhunt like this typically works.
Right before JSO killed a robbery suspect, an officer turned off his bodycam because of a โbright blinking light.โ Does that violate policy?
The Jacksonville Sheriffโs Officeโs pledge to be transparent under Sheriff T.K. Waters is being challenged by a mother who still wants answers following her sonโs death.
Authorities: SWAT dispatched after erratic man with handgun enters Southside business, demands police be called
A man who entered a business Thursday morning along Southside Boulevard carrying a handgun was arrested following a situation that led to the SWAT team being dispatched, according to the Jacksonville Sheriffโs Office.
I-TEAM: City reverses denial, will work with JSO to fix property damage SWAT left behind
There are new developments in a News4Jax I-TEAM investigation after a Dinsmore man said the city of Jacksonville refused to pay to repair his fence and yard that were damaged during a Jacksonville Sheriffโs Office SWAT standoff.
JSO: Man taken into custody after SWAT team responds to Northside neighborhood
A man was taken into custody after a SWAT team was called to a home in the Northsideโs Osceola Forest neighborhood where officers were serving an arrest warrant on Monday, according to the Jacksonville Sheriffโs Office.
Miami sets early curfew after spring break crowds, fights
A military style vehicle was seen rolling down the palm-tree lined Ocean Drive as outnumbered Miami Beach police officers struggled to disperse the raucous crowds Saturday. By Thursday, the crowds were growing, fights were breaking out, setting off dangerous stampedes of people fleeing for safety. Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said he has trouble sleeping at night, worried about the out-of-control parties. Several said it was time for a new marketing campaign to help rebrand South Beachโs as a party city, pointing to the small handful of arrests in nearby Fort Lauderdale over spring break. Miami tourism officials say billions of dollars were lost when the pandemic first erupted last year, canceling spring break and forcing beach closures across the Sunshine State.
Man at center of SWAT standoff identified as โsole suspectโ in womanโs killing, deputies say
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. โ A man at the center of a SWAT standoff Sunday in Clay County was identified as the โsole suspectโ in the killing of a woman in St. Johns County, authorities said Monday. The St. Johns County Sheriffโs Office said it received a call Sunday morning from the Clay County Sheriffโs Office about a man, identified as Hopkins, who had driven a vehicle into a home in Fleming Island and barricaded himself inside. Based on the manโs statements, St. Johns County deputies responded to a home in the northwest part of St. Johns County to check on the welfare of a resident. Eventually, with the help of the Jacksonville Sheriffโs Office SWAT team, members of the Clay County SWAT team entered the home and found him dead. The Betty Griffin Center in St. Johns County can be reached at 904-824-1555The hotline number of Quigley House in Clay County is 904-284-0061.
Clay County Sheriff: Hours-long standoff ends after suspect takes his own life
CLAY COUNTY, Fla. โ The man who barricaded himself inside a Fleming Island home after crashing into its garage Sunday morning has taken his own life, according to the Clay County Sheriffโs Office. She said the homeowner was out of state at the time of the incident but was returning to Clay County. AdIn St. Johns County, authorities say the death of a woman in the northwest part of the county early Sunday morning is believed to be related to the SWAT standoff Sunday in Clay County. @wjxt4 https://t.co/6FtnpzAqmd โ Brittany Muller (@BrittMullerNews) March 7, 2021A St. Johns County Sheriffโs Office spokesperson told News4Jax that the agency received a call around 8:30 a.m. Sunday from the Clay County Sheriffโs Office to do a welfare check on a woman in the northwest part of St. Johns County. โWe believe this to be a domestic violence incident and related to the active situation in Clay County,โ the spokesperson said.
SWAT team called to Arlington neighborhood after man shot in vehicle
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Investigators with the Jacksonville Sheriffโs Office and a SWAT team were called in after a shooting Monday led to a crash in an Arlington neighborhood. According to Lt G. Terrell, with the Sheriffโs Office, officers were dispatched at 5:39 p.m. in reference to a traffic crash. He said responding officers discovered that the driver of the vehicle had been shot. Suspect came out, went back into his home, retrieved a handgun, came back out, started shooting at the victim. About a minute later, a man yells: โCall 911.โTerrell said the man who fired went back into his house.
2 dead, 1 shot in home off Beaver Street
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ A man and woman were found dead Friday morning in the home off Beaver Street and another man was hospitalized after being shot in the house, according to the Jacksonville Sheriffโs Office. Watershed Drive North, in the Whitehouse area west of Interstate 295, was closed due to police activity for several hours. Detectives said a gun was found and they were investigating if this was a murder-suicide, but that was not confirmed. Neighbors said they had seen a man and woman move into the house less than a month ago. โJust seeing everything going on, itโs kind of crazy,โ neighbor Tyrell Wilson said.
Man involved in overnight standoff accused of firing gun in neighborhood
According to police, officers were called to the neighborhood around 4 p.m. Monday after reports of shots being fired. Patrol officers tried to take Taylor into custody, but he barricaded himself in the home and SWAT was called out to negotiate with him. Itโs a very safe neighborhood. I was neighborhood watch coordinator for years and people wouldnโt come to the meetings and stuff like that so I said โHeck with it.โ I said, โWeโre a safe neighborhood why botherโ and then this happens today. JSO said a risk protection order will be issued, which will prevent Taylor from legally possessing a gun again.
Man who held baby hostage overnight surrenders to SWAT
According to family, the mother managed to get away safely at some point Sunday evening after Smalls took a shot at her. A SWAT team negotiator got 38-year-old Ricardo Smalls to surrender just after 9 a.m. Monday. Sheโs a happy baby, you know, and itโs sad sheโs going through this,โ said the childโs aunt, Lourdes Rodriguez, said earlier โNo child should go through this. Cars could be seen lined up along Collins Road as the police would not allow residents back into the apartments. Other residents kept out of the complex overnight slept in their cars.
911 caller claims he had bomb; Clay County SWAT found no one home
ORANGE PARK, Fla. โ Clay County deputies and a SWAT team spent several hours early Friday morning in an Eagle Landing neighborhood after the Orange Park Police Department received a call about a violent incident in a home and hostages may inside. According to the 911 call, the caller said he had a bomb strapped to his chest and demanded money. โI want $30,000, otherwise Iโm going to blow up the hostages and the entire building with by bombs. โIt appears at this time the call concerning this incident was a prank,โ deputies said in a release Friday afternoon. The SWAT team and their equipment packed up and left.
Jacksonville sheriff: Vest saves life of officer shot
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ A police officer was shot Monday morning while assisting the Drug Enforcement Administration in serving a high-risk search warrant in a neighborhood off Moncrief Road, authorities said. The Jacksonville Sheriffโs Office SWAT team member was released from the hospital within hours and is recovering at home, Sheriff Mike Williams said. Williams said the veteran officer was hit several times, but the shots landed on his ballistics vest, and the officer managed to return fire. โWhen you ask for the SWAT team, youโre talking about a high-profile takedown," Jefferson said. The sheriff said SWAT officers spend 20-30% of their on-duty time training to prepare them for high-risk situations.
18-year-old arrested after SWAT standoff ends peacefully
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A SWAT standoff in Jacksonville's Woodstock neighborhood ended peacefully Tuesday morning with the arrest of an 18-year-old. A woman told Jacksonville police that Follow showed up at her house Monday with a rifle and asked her to drive him somewhere. When she returned home Tuesday, she found a pile of her uniforms burning in front of the house, and Follow was inside the house, the report said. As he left the home, the officer could be heard over the loudspeaker saying, "you're doing the right thing." The standoff forced some nearby homes to be evacuated overnight and closed part of Commonwealth Avenue during rush hour.
2 arrested after SWAT raids suspected drug house near schools
BAKER COUNTY, Fla. - Two people were arrested after a SWAT team and detectives with the Baker County Sheriff's Office raided a suspected drug house near a preschool and an elementary school in the Macclenny area, authorities said. Deputies pointed out that the preschool also sits in front of Macclenny Elementary School on County Road 23B. The Sheriff's Office noted that detectives previously seized 43 grams of methamphetamine and arrested a dealer out of the same house in September. According to the Sheriff's Office, Kelly Prowant, 36, was also arrested at the scene after methamphetamine and drug equipment was found in the bedroom that she claimed she had recently been living in. The Sheriff's Office said residents can anonymously report suspicious and potentially drug-related activity by calling 904-259-9218 or emailing narcotics@bakerso.com.
2 arrested after SWAT raids suspected drug house near schools
Two people were arrested after a SWAT team and detectives with the Baker County Sheriff's Office raided a suspected drug house near a preschool and an elementary school in the Macclenny area,... Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.
School SWAT club takes on vaping
CLAY COUNTY, Fla. - A Clay County school club, Students Working Against Tobacco, has turned its attention toward vaping as health experts say the number of teens turning to e-cigarettes has reached epidemic levels. The club, better known as SWAT, has chapters in 10 Clay County schools working to prevent young people from smoking cigarettes and now vaping as well. During a club event at Middleburg High School Thursday, more than 200 students took the pledge to not smoke and not vape. Middleburg High School's principal said students told him they couldn't even use the bathroom without seeing vaping prompting the school to address the problem and crack down. While Moritz said the SWAT clubs are doing great work in Clay County schools, she shared a message with parents.
SWAT raid in Clay Hill yields arrest, 325 grams of meth
CLAY COUNTY, Fla. - A man was arrested and 325 grams of methamphetamine were discovered Thursday when the Clay County Sheriff's Office raided a home in the Clay Hill community near Middleburg, authorities said. On Thursday morning, Clay County deputies and a SWAT team served search and arrest warrants at the home on County Road 218 West near Long Horn Road as part of an ongoing investigation, according to the Sheriff's Office. The SWAT team used armored vehicles because deputies said it was a high-risk warrant. During a search of the home, according to the Sheriff's Office, 325 grams -- about half a pound -- of methamphetamine were seized. Deputies told News4Jax earlier this month that various neighborhood walks conducted by the Sheriff's Office have led to drug raids in recent months.
Jacksonville Beach SWAT search finds 40 grams of meth
JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. - A man was arrested after Jacksonville Beach detectives and a SWAT team raided a home Tuesday afternoon, according to authorities. The Jacksonville Beach Police Department said 54-year-old Jason Malec (pictured) was arrested on trafficking methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia charges after nearly 40 grams of methamphetamine were seized from the home on 15th Avenue North. Malec's arrest report shows a pill bottle with black electrical tape, drug paraphernalia and a cellphone were also seized. The Police Department said two other people at the home, the 59-year-old man who owns the home and a 49-year-old man, were issued notices to appear for drug paraphernalia and then released. "Last night late there were police cars, SWAT team, Fire and Rescue, people in handcuffs.
Deputies make child neglect, drug arrests at Middleburg home
MIDDLEBURG, Fla. - Three people were arrested Thursday after deputies raided a Middleburg home, which led to an investigation at another home nearby, according to the Clay County Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office posted on social media that deputies made arrests on drug and child neglect charges at the house, and Stivers told News4Jax that one of the people arrested was a father of the 10-year-old. Charles McMillan, 40, and Keri Ann Oliver, 41, were booked into the Clay County jail, each on a charge of child neglect, according to online jail records. A Sheriff's Office spokesperson said deputies have made six major drug busts within the last few weeks. Clay County Sheriff's Office Photo: Clay County Sheriff's OfficeCopyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.
These Teachers Are Learning How to Take Down an Active Shooter
These teachers are going back to school to learn how to take down an active shooter in the classroom. Former SWAT team cop Dave Acosta is instructing some 200 teachers in Las Vegas how to protect themselves and their students from attackers. He runs "Fight Back," a program that trains educators how to defend with their bare hands. Tim Evancich runs multiple charter schools in Nevada and Utah and greenlit the training program for the institutions. RELATED STORIESToddler Is Recovering After Being Hit by Shrapnel, Losing Teeth in Texas ShootingCan a Bulletproof Backpack Save Your Life in a School Shooting?
SWAT team standoff in Middleburg
A SWAT team and negotiators are on the scene at a home in Middleburg around Mackenize Court North. According to the Clay County Sheriff's Office, no crime has occurred. The response is in regards to a person who has impaired mental faculties. Deputies are on the scene, and the area is being closed off as needed. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.
Police: 2 women in custody after chase, standoff
WAYCROSS, Ga. โ Two women were taken into custody Friday after a police chase led to a SWAT standoff, the Waycross Police Department said. Five minutes later, police said, an officer spotted a vehicle near Hicks Street and Lee Avenue that matched the description provided by the caller. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver kept going, which led to a pursuit, according to the Police Department. One passenger in the car, who was later identified by police as Rachelle Monroe, got out and starting running down Samuel Street. Police said the driver, Veneta Bailey, continued traveling before stopping in a nearby business parking lot on Memorial Drive, where she was taken into custody.